Saints and Angels
by cold-blue-perception
Summary: Catherine and Sara must figure out a way to get along when faced with the impossible. Later chapters get darker. FIC COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the CSI characters….lets just say that I'm borrowing them for now.  
Rating: M for language

Saints and Angels

Chapter One

The minute that Grissom handed Sara the assignment sheet, he knew she was angry. Very angry. And Catherine wasn't far behind.

"Grissom, this is ridiculous. I am more than capable-"

"Catherine, I'm not asking. I'm telling. Take Sara with you. Leave your personal feelings at the door. You two have a job to do."

Warrick and Nick, who had quietly been watching the storm brew, stood quietly and left. They wanted nothing to do with the fire works display that was about to blow up in the break room.

Sara looked between Catherine and Grissom. It was like watching a fight scene between two parents, especially when they were both treating her like a difficult child. Her anger was rising with every passing glance.

"Listen, Catherine, I know you don't like me. Hell, I don't blame you. I just want to do my job. So, when you're finished here, why don't you just meet me at the scene," Sara stated calmly, dropping the assignment sheet on the table in front of Catherine.

"No, Sara. You aren't to go by yourself."

"Grissom, I'm a big girl, I'll be fine-"

"No, Sara. You know that part of town. You two aren't to leave each other's sights. Understand?"

"No, I don't. Why don't you explain it to us? There's a reason that there's an officer at the scene, right?"

"Damn it, Catherine. You of all people should know better! For once, just do what I say. Go do your jobs, and I'll see you back here. And be careful."

He looked at them both. "Please."

"Fine," Catherine spat out, 'you're the boss. Just remember that paybacks are a bitch."

"I'll remember. Now go."

Catherine rushed out, apparently expecting Sara to follow.

She took a deep breath before standing up. She leaned over the table, putting her face a few inches from Grissom's.

"You know, Grissom, every time that I think that something has changed…"

She cut her sentence short, and exited the break room, leaving Grissom with a mouthful of unsaid words.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the CSI characters, but I do own a few that I made.  
Rating:M for language (Mostly later chapters) 

Chapter 2

The ride to the scene was tense. Both Catherine and Sara were at a loss for words, but they both wondered if they should say something.

"Catherine-"

"Sara, lets not do this. We have a job to do. Lets just be civil and get it done, okay?"

"Okay," Sara said quickly. Too quickly. She felt a headache coming on. It was taking every bit of strength she had not to rip Catherine's head off.

Grissom had asked them to do their job, Sara thought. She wondered if there would ever be a time when he wouldn't feel the need to tell HOW to do her job- if he would ever stop thinking of her as a student. She smiled to herself, already knowing the answers to her questions.

Catherine took a long glance at Sara. Everybody- including Sara- believed that she didn't like her. They were wrong. She just hated being stuck in the middle of the on-going battle between she and Grissom. She hated the way he acted towards her, and had told him on more than one occasion. Grissom was Grissom, though, and kept his mouth shut. She wanted to slap him silly sometimes.

Sara took a breath of relief when they finally arrived at the scene. There were two marked police cars already there, but no officers in sight.

Catherine was still sitting in the driver's seat when Sara got out to get her kit. She followed suit after taking a few deep breaths, and watching Sara walk towards the house.

As Catherine was digging through the back of the Tahoe for her flashlight and spare gloves, she heard Sara running towards her.

"Catherine! Move! Move!"

Before she even knew what hit her, Sara had her hands on her, pushing her to the left, around the side of the truck.

"Sara, what the hell are you doing? Get your damn hands-"

"SSHH!" Sara whispered. She was out of breath, and all but laying on top of her.

"Sara? What are you doing!"

"Two men-"

Her words were cut short when a man came around the side of the truck. He was gripping his left shoulder, but there was a gun in his hand. His shirt was stained with blood.

"Get up."

Sara glanced down at Catherine, who was still laying beneath her on the street, almost pinned to the truck, before standing up slowly. She tried to measure up the man before her. He had a hurt shoulder, but so did she. She wasn't sure if she could take him or not.

"Listen-"

"No, bitch, you listen. Put your guns on the ground."

"Okay, okay," Catherine said in a shaky voice, reaching for her gun.

Sara resisted. She knew if they didn't put up a fight now, their odds of getting hurt, or even killed, would greatly increase. She advanced on him, without another thought, but she didn't move fast enough.

She bit back a scream as he pinned her against him, the gun to her head now. Her shoulder was on fire, and she could feel streams of blood running down her arm now. She had made a big mistake.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the CSI characters, but I did create a few of my own.  
Rating: NC-17 for language (especially in later chapters)  
Author's Note: This chapter will be longer than the other 2. I'm going to glue myself to the computer if I have to. Feel free to review.

Saints and Angels

Chapter 3

Sara's eyes met Catherine's, and in an act of desperation, Sara chose to keep fighting. Her heel made contact with her attacker's foot, and her gun was drawn before he had a chance to recuperate.

"Drop your gun! Now!" she yelled, almost completely out of breath.

Catherine swept her gun off the ground and stepped in next to Sara.

"Put your gun down now!"

As Sara stood, gun drawn, she wondered where the officers were. Where was the back up? The pain from her shoulder was blinding. She closed her eyes, trying to gain her composure.

She heard footsteps behind them, and turned swiftly. 'Backup, finally!' she thought, lowering her gun.

It was the last thing she thought, before another man, with a much larger gun came towards them.

"Well, it seems like we have a situation her, doesn't it?

"Drop your gun!" Sara yelled at the second attacker.

"Lady, we don't want to hurt you . Just get in the fucking truck."

"We aren't going anywhere. Drop your gun. This isn't worth it," Catherine said, her voice much softer, filled with absolute fear.

"Fuck you lady! We call the shots, if you didn't already know. Get into the god damned truck. We aren't asking."

"Listen-" Catherine started.

"Catherine," Sara cut her words off, closing her eyes, the pain getting worst. "Will you shut the fuck up, please. You're only making this worst!"

Sara looked directly at the second attacker. "She doesn't ever shut her mouth."

Catherine couldn't turn to look at Sara, but she thought about taking the risk, just to slap the shit out of her partner.

"Sara-"

"Will you SHUT UP? For fuck's sake, Catherine-"

"Both of you, shut up. Get in the truck," the first guy said. He was obviously losing his temper.

"I'll tell you what," Sara said, her voice lowering an octave, "just leave her here. What do you need her for? She's just a rookie CSI-"

"You fucking idiot," Catherine spat out, starting to realize what Sara was trying to do. Both men were closing in on them, slowly but surely.

"You want a bargaining tool?" Sara asked.

"Bitch, I don't need-"

"You're going to attack two female officers-"

"And kill three cops-" the second guy threw in, earning a dirty glance from his partner.

"Okay….and kill three police officers, and you don't think you need a bargaining tool?"

"Maybe you should listen to her, Tate."

"Mike, will you shut up?" Tate yelled. "Both of you , get in the fucking truck! NOW!" He all but screamed, while throwing the back door open, motioning them to get in with his gun. "NOW!"

Sara bit back a sob when Tate grabbed her arm to push her forward. She jerked her arm out of his grasp.

"Well, well, well," Tate said mockingly. "Are you hurt, sweet thing?" He pulled on her vest, separating it from her shoulder. Her lavender shirt was soaked with blood. "It looks like your aim is improving, Mike."

"Take your hands off of her or I'll drop you where you stand." Catherine spat out, trying to place herself between Sara and Tate. She earned a concerned look from Sara.

"You two are like fire and ice. One minute you hate each other, the next you don't. Nice try trying to talk us into leaving your girlfriend behind," Tate said, laughing as he pushed Sara even harder towards the truck.

"Get in."

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Grissom sat quietly with his head resting in his hands. The meeting with Ecklie had gone better than expected. He was waiting for the sheriff up.

"What do you want us to do, Gris?" Warrick asked, not really knowing what to say.

"We wait. That's all we can do," Grissom replied, taking a long look at the younger CSI.

His eyes mirrored his own- fear, indecision, love even. Grissom knew that Warrick was just as worried about Catherine, as he was about Sara. He wondered if he was even thinking about Tina now.

"Wait, Grissom? Are you kidding me, man? That's Sara and Catherine out there! Our friends…not just our coworkers."

"Our hands are tied right now, Nicky. We just have to wait."

"For what? For the sheriff to tell us that they won't do anything? I know the lab's policy, Gris. It was spelled out nice and clear when it was me in that box-"

"DON'T." Grissom said calmly. "We don't know if this is even the same situation. Don't assume-"

"Assume what? Just remember what Ecklie said. They didn't find Catherine's blood at the scene- it was Sara's. Think about that for a while," Nick said, getting up and leaving his office.

"Grissom, he's upset. I'm sure he's probably having flashbacks-"

"It's okay, Rick. You don't have to stick up for him. He and Sara are close-"

"I don't think this is about that."

"Then what is it about?"

"If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you. Page me when you hear anything."

For the second time in one day, Grissom sat alone, wondering what to say. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the CSI characters, but I created a few of my own.  
Rating: M for language.  
Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews. It makes all the difference!

Saints and Angels

Chapter 4

Drugged.

The moment that Catherine opened her eyes, she knew that she must have been given something. Wherever she was, it was dark, and she couldn't hear anything. She was laying on her side, on what felt like a cement floor. It was very cold. For a few moments, she fought the urge to close her eyes and go back to sleep.

"Sara?" she asked softly, trying to sit up. She instantly felt sick to her stomach.

She tried to look through the darkness, in search of her partner.

"Sara!" she said again, louder this time.

"Yeah…Catherine?"

"Thank god…You didn't answer the first time."

"Any idea where we are?"

"No clue. I must have been drugged, but I can't remember a thing."

Catherine closed her eyes, almost trying to force her brain to come up with something. Sara had been shot.

"Oh shit. How's your shoulder?"

"Fantastic."

"Sara…"

"I'm fine. It hurts, but I'll make it. We need to find a way out of here…"

"Wherever 'here' is? I'm sure the guys are looking for us. I don't know how long we've been gone, though."

"Try not to think about it, Catherine."

"You do the same."

Sara couldn't see anything, because the room was completely blacked out, but she knew that Catherine was close to her. When she reached out a hand and touched her arm, Sara hissed in pain.

"Sorry! I just wanted to make sure-"

"What? That it hurts!''

"I'm sorry, really. Let's move as far to the left and start a grid search. Surely we can find a door or at least windows…"

"Alright, after you," Sara whispered, linking her good arm through one of Catherine's. 

They had moved at least 20 paces to the left, and still hadn't found anything, not even a wall.

"It's a big space-"

"Let's just keep moving."

Nine more steps and they came in contact with a wall. Running her hand down it, Catherine felt flecks of old paint chip off with even a light touch.

"Old paint too. Abandoned building?"

"That narrows it down…"

"Maybe there's a door."

"I can't see a thing, Catherine. Right or left?"

"Right?"

As they moved down the wall, hands reaching out, they heard motion behind them, too loud to be a human coming up from behind.

"Rats?"

"Probably…Hey, I found something!" Sara happily gasped. "It feels like a doorframe. Maybe a window frame…"

She knocked on the surface, and the hollow noise told them it was wood. Feeling out the surface around, she knew there were several planks of wood. It had to be a window.

"Let's try to pull a couple of these planks off. Maybe we can get a little bit of light-"

A loud screeching noise- metal on metal- sounded behind them, cutting off Sara's thoughts. Suddenly, there was dim light all around them. Catherine wasn't sure if they had been seen, so she nudged Sara to the right, trying to push her into the nearest corner.

"Don't even think about it, CSI Willows."

It was Tate, and Mike wasn't far behind.

"It's not too late for you, Tate. If you let us go…"

"We can't let you go now, can we? You know our names and what we look like. However, it doesn't look like your boss is too worried. He doesn't want to pay up…." Mike said, almost annoyed.

"He can't, you fucking idiot. The lab doesn't negotiate with terrorists."

"No need to call names, Ms. Sidle. Terrorists, huh? I like the sound of that." Tate laughed out.

"However," Mike cut in, "since we can't make any money off of you, which is a damn shame, and we can't let you go"  
"Then what?" Sara spat out, almost knowing what he was going to say next.

"Then we might as well have a little fun. What do you say, pretty lady?

"Over our dead bodies, you piece of shit." Catherine yelled out. There was still at least 10 feet separating them….If only they could get around them to the door….

"That can be arranged, BITCH." Tate said, suddenly very angry.

"What my partner is trying to say is that it's decision time."

"Decision time?" Sara asked. What the hell was this guy talking about?

"You two get to choose."

"Choose WHAT?"

"Which one of you stays, and which one of you goes."

"Decide wisely, though."

Both men laughed.

"Catherine goes, " Sara said without hesitation.

"Sara-"

"Ughm, guys, I know that you probably want a decision now, but can we have a couple of minutes…alone. To decide?"

"Five minutes. We'll be back. You better be ready."

When the men left, and the room was thrown into complete darkness again, Catherine turned towards Sara.

"Sara-"

"No, listen."

"You need a doctor-"

"I'm fine. I'll be okay."

"Sara-"

"You have a DAUGHTER. Think of Lindsey, Catherine. And you'll come back for me. I know you will bring the team back in time-"

"You don't know that! What if they drug me again-"

Sara didn't need her to finish to know what she was thinking. Hell, she wasn't even sure that they wouldn't kill Catherine before it was all over. She had to try.

"Just go. I'll find a way out, if you can't get back-"

"Don't say that"  
"Say what?"

"Say what you want, Sara, but don't say it like I have no intention of coming back. I just don't think that you should have to…You know what they are going to do to you…."

Catherine was crying.

"Cath, I managed to survive it the first time-"

"WHAT?"

"I know that we have never been close," Sara said, putting her hands on each side of Catherine's face, "but know this when I say it, okay? You have taught me a lot, Cath. And I know that I've been a pain in your ass, but for once, I need you to listen."

"No. No, Sara. I can't let you-"

"It's not your choice."

Catherine shook her head, the tears flowing freely now. Sara swiped at a few with her thumbs. Her aching arm dropped to her side. This was it. She couldn't fight anymore anyway.

"Tell Grissom-"

"Please don't do this-"

"Tell him, that in the end, he was on my mind. Tell Nicky and Warrick that-"

The screeching sounded again, a warning to what was to come.

"Tell them that I loved working with them. Tell Warrick to take his head out of his ass too, okay?"

Her hurried words made Catherine bite back a smile. She knew what she was talking about.

"You ladies figure it out?" Tate asked from behind them.

"Yes, just let us finish here please," Sara pleaded.

There was silence again.

"Sara….Oh my god. What do I say to you? You're saving my life, and there's nothing I can-"

"Just give Lindsey a big hug for me, okay?"

"You got it, kiddo," Catherine cried out, grasping Sara into a tight hug. She knew her shoulder was hurt, but she couldn't bring herself to let go.

"Today, CSI Willows."

"Goodbye Catherine. Remember to tell them-"

"I will, Sara. I will."

Glancing back towards her one more time, Catherine walked towards the two men waiting for her near the door.  
Suddenly, Sara was once again alone in the dark. And this time, she had no one to blame but herself. 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the CSI characters, but I did create a few of my own.  
Rating: NC-17 for language and content.

Saints and Angels

Chapter 5

She wasn't alone anymore. She knew that it was only a matter of time before Tate and Mike came back for her. Her worst fears come true, for the first time in her short life. She was used to working with the victim, not being one. She couldn't remember the door opening, or the dim light that was now cast on the room.

Her shoulder no longer hurt. Everything was more a dull ache now. Tate had his hands on her, caressing her face forcefully.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've had something this close to perfection in my hands?" he asked.

"I'm not perfect-"

"You're the closest thing to perfect that I'm ever gonna get, Lady."

Sara didn't say anything in return. He just wanted to get it over with. 'Why can't he just kill me?' she thought to herself.

"Please-"

He was kissing her hard on the mouth , his tongue finding entry at her protest. She was pinned to the hard, cold floor now. She had no intention of making it easy for him. She brought her knee up, but couldn't make contact like she wanted to.

"Oh yeah, baby. Fight back, I like it. Not as much as Mike, though."

'Shit,' she thought, 'I forgot about the other guy. Fuck.'

She stopped fighting at the thought. They might let her live if she could just make it through this. 'They might let me live,' she thought, 'but what kind of life would it be? Is it worth it- not putting up a fight? Now's not the time to be a coward, Sidle! Choose….'

Tate was unbuttoning her slacks, she realized when she snapped out of her thinking. She tried to clear her mind, relax her body. She was suddenly very cold.

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The break room at the lab was quiet for the first time all night. Grissom, Warrick, and Nick sat quietly, going over what little evidence they did have.

The meeting with the Sheriff and Ecklie went as planned. They weren't going to pay the ransom. Even if all three through in, they would still be short on the cash. Very short.

"How did you find the money for-" Nick began to ask.

"Catherine talked to her father."

"Not that it made that big of a difference anyway."

"It made a big difference until the guy blew it up."

"Why don't you ask me again?" Catherine asked from the doorway.

All three men's heads shot up. They pushed away form the table, all coming very close to her.

She took a step back.

"Evidence," she said simply.

She was covered in blood and dirt. It was obvious that she had been crying- through dirt on her face, there were tear stains.

"Catherine-" Warrick began, taking a step towards her.

"I need to be processed."

"The case went to days. Ecklie is heading up the investigation. Sophia volunteered to work over time to help us out. I'll call her, okay?" Grissom asked softly.

Catherine shook her head. She took a good look at all three men in front of her. A promise was a promise.

"Sara wanted me to tell you," she stopped to gain some composer. "She wanted you to know that she loved you guys, and that she was glad that she got to work with-"

"STOP. Catherine, do you know for a fact that Sara is dead?" Grissom asked harshly.

"No. They made us choose who-"

"Choose what?" Nick asked soberly.

"Who got to go, and-"

"And what?"

"LET ME FINISH!"

"There were two guys- Tate and Mike. They took us from the scene over at Baltimore Heights. Sara was hurt, Mike had shot her in the shoulder, but she tried to put up a fight. She tried to get them to leave me there-" she sobbed out, finally sitting down at the table.

"They drugged us, and then took us to…I don't know where. It was an old abandoned building. We were trying to find a way out, when-" she stopped to wipe at some of the tears that were now flowing freely.

"When they came back for us. Sara's shoulder was getting worst, but she was trying to be tough. Tate told us that the lab wasn't going to pay the ransom, which we knew already," she said, looking up at Nick now.

"They told us that one of us could leave. That we needed to choose it was going to be. Sara didn't even hesitate when she said that she was staying."

"And you let her? Without so much as an argument, Catherine?" Grissom asked angrily.

"Grissom-" Warrick began.

"No, Warrick. I understand." Catherine looked directly at Grissom. "I did argue, but she told me to think of Lindsey, and to promise that I would come back and tell you guys all of this, and try to come back for her. She wanted me to tell you-"

"How can we go back for her, Catherine? Telling us that it was some abandoned building-"

"I need to finish telling you the rest, okay? She asked gently.

"Yes," Sophia said from the doorway, "anything you tell me can help."

Catherine shook her head, knowingly.

"They planned on…having their way with her. They made it perfectly clear before they told us to choose. She knew when she told me to go."

All three men looked away from her. Sophia was the only one that was still completely engaged.

"They came back for me. When we got outside of the room, they blindfolded me…it was a dirty rag, I could smell the oil on it, even. When we got into the vehicle- it had to be a car, because I felt for it's height before I got in. Anyway, when we got in, I began to count. One mississippi, two mississippi, that kind of thing."

"How many seconds did you count?" Sophia asked.

"From the time that I got in, until the time that I got out, I counted give or take 1500 seconds."

"So about 25 minutes. It was a smart thing to do," Sophia mentioned.

"I hope so."

"Let's get you processed. I've got a jumpsuit-"

"No, that's okay, I have a change of clothes in my locker."

"I know the combination, I'll get them. I'll meet you in the locker room, okay?" Warrick asked.

"Okay. Thanks."

After Sophia and Catherine had left for processing, all three men went there own separate ways. There was no sense in talking about it to each other. They all knew what needed to get done. Nick went to trace, to examine the blindfold. Warrick went to the locker room to get Catherine's change of clothes. Grissom went to Archie to check the surveillance outside of the lab, and then to meet with Ecklie. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the CSI characters, but I did create a couple of my own.  
Rating: NC-17 for language and some content Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that has reviewed so far. Also thanks to everyone that has continually asked for updates. I needed the motivation!

Saints and Angels

Chapter 6

The conference room was quiet. Too quiet. Catherine, Grissom, Warrick and Nick, along with Sophia and Brass all sat quietly after hearing Greg's findings.

"So," Grissom finally said, breaking the silence, " here's what we know for sure: Catherine's clothes had two types of blood- A negative and O positive. One we know belongs to Sara. The other can be traced back to a Christian Tate."

"He was the one that-"

"We know who he is, Catherine. Just let me finish." Grissom said icily, cutting her off.

"Listen, we all know the information. Let's just take a ten minute break, okay? We've been staring at these papers for the better part of 12 hours now."

"And we will continue to stare at them, until we have a lead on where Sara is."

"I didn't say anything up giving up," Brass said calmly. "Fresh eyes, you know how it goes, Gil."

"Fine. If you guys want to go, then go. I'll be here."

Nobody got up to leave. Brass and Catherine eyed Grissom. This case was taking its toll on him. If it weren't Sara…

'But it is Sara,' Catherine thought. 'Sara that saved my life. The least I can do it keep looking.'

"Hey guys-" Greg said from the doorway. "Archie has something for us. He checked the surveillance outside the lab, like you told him to, Gris. He managed to get a partial tag number off of the car that dropped Catherine off…a black Chevy Impala. I checked with the DMV, there's only 26 in this area…but only one that registers with the partial plate. It's registered to a Mike Lexmark. We got an address…We've got a couple of guys on there way over right now."

"Thanks Greg," Nick said soberly. "We going or not?" he asked Grissom.

"Grab your kits on the way out," Grissom suggested. "Let's go get our girl."

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On the way to the address downtown, Grissom's phone rang. It was Sophia, who was still back at the lab.

"I checked the address that we got back from Greg's report. The building is an old warehouse. Back in the 60's they supplied paper and other recyclable products"  
"When did it close?"

"Looks like the late 70's. Another company bought them out, and they moved out of state. We did get a couple of flecks of lead paint from underneath Catherine's nails during processing, so make sure we get samples…just to be sure."

"Got it. Thanks Sophia."

"No problem. Keep me posted?"

"Sure."

Grissom relayed the information to the team as they were pulling up. There were police cars spread out sporadically through the alley. Two SWAT team trucks, an ambulance, and a fire truck also had beat them there.

"Listen," Grissom began to the team after speaking with Brass, "there are 17 floors and we don't know which one she's on, or if she's even here. We hold back until we have permission. We don't want to compromise anything this time, okay?"

"We understand, Gris, but this isn't even our case." Warrick explained.

"I already spoke to Ecklie. It's our scene this time around. Gather as much as you can, and make sure you get paint samples. I know you know how to do your job, but no mistakes."

"We got you."

"Catherine, you can't go in. It may compromise-"

"What makes you think I want to go back in there?" She asked, tears forming in her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Slowly, things were getting worst for her. She hadn't got to take a shower, she hadn't got to see Lindsey.

"Cath," Warrick said gently, coming to stand in front of her. "We will all understand- Sara will understand if you go home now. Nobody will think any less of you."

"I'll wait. Damn it, I need to see her come out of there. I KNOW this is the place. I can feel it. Tell them to look on the first or second floor. I didn't take that many stairs on the way out. I know that for sure…"

"Gris-"

"I heard you. I'm calling Brass now."

Just as he went to dial the number, there was a lot of noise coming from inside the building. Gunshots rang out, along with glass from the windows above breaking.

"Get back!" Brass was yelling.

The commotion went on for only a few more seconds, though, and it was quiet once again.

"Brass?" Warrick yelled.  
"I don't know yet!"

Police officers were coming out of the building now, along with the SWAT team. At the same time, fireman and EMT's were rushing in.

"Gris?"

"Just wait. Brass?"

"My hands are tied, Gil, you know that. Wait until it's secured."

Waiting for what seemed like a very long period of time, the team watched as more police officers came out of the building. There was no sign of the EMT's yet. They were all starting to lose their patience.

"Can you find anything out?" Nick asked Brass.

"I'll see what I can do."

As Brass went to talk with a few of the police officers that had come out of the building, there was finally a breath of relief when the three EMT's began exiting the building. They waited to see any signs of Sara, but there were none.

The team knew what this meant: no survivors.

Grissom became outraged, slamming his fist into the hood of the Tahoe. Flashbacks of the Debbie Marlin case flooded his memory. If only…

"Gris!" a couple of the team gasped.

He turned to see what was going on. Two police officers were coming out of the building, escorting Sara out. She was limping slightly, but alive none the less.

He ran to her, but before he could pull her into an embrace, she took a few steps back. The rest of the team had caught up with Grissom by then.

"Sara?" he asked.

"Evidence." she said, simply, like Catherine had done many hours before back at the lab.

"You need to go to the hospital," Catherine exclaimed.

"I know, I know. I have to be processed first. The hospital will instantly-" Sara said, the pain in her voice evident. She knew what she was going to be in for.

"I'll do it," Catherine said.

"Catherine, Sophia is already on her way. You can't do it. You know that."

"You're right…" Catherine said, sadly, also taking a few steps away from them all.

"Why don't I take you home?" Brass asked her, "so you can see Lindsey?"

"You haven't been home yet?" Sara asked incredulously.

"No. I just wanted…needed to make sure…"

"Point taken. Go home, Cath. You promised, remember?" Sara asked.

"Yes, I remember. I'll give her a big hug…" Catherine tried to finish, but was so overwhelmed with emotions. It was hard not to touch her, to hug her. She bit her lip in frustration.

"I'm fine. Really. I'll be out of the hospital before you know it."

"I'll come see you."

"I know you will. Go home. Get some rest. All of you-" Sara said, looking directly at Grissom.

"I'm going with you. Sophia can process, but I'm not leaving."

"Grissom-"

"Sara, this is not a debate. I'm going whether you want me to or not, " he said roughly. Too roughly.

Sara was in tears. He didn't mean to make her cry.

"Sara-"

"It's not you, Gil. I just-"

'Gil?' Grissom thought, 'she chooses now to call me by my first name!'

"Honey, Sophia will get your clothes and process before you leave here. You have to go to the hospital. Your shoulder-"

"Could be a lot worst. I'm fine. I'm used to the pain by now. I bet I'll need surgery, though, to remove the bullet. I tried to-"

"Please don't tell us now," Nick said squeamishly. This wasn't some case. It was Sara. He was sick to his stomach as soon as he saw her exit the building.

"Now's no time to become a coward, Nicky," she said playfully.

"Nor is it the time to make jokes," he quipped back to her.

"Alright, alright. Let's just get this over with."

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	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the CSI characters, but if I did….oh the possibilities.  
Rating: NC-17 for language and content Author's notes: Thanks for the reviews. I will be ending this shortly.

Saints and Angels

Chapter 7

The waiting room was eerily quiet. It was the middle of the night, and the team, along with Brass and Sophia were the only ones there. They were still waiting to hear from the doctor about Sara's condition. She had been taken into surgery several hours ago, and a couple of nurses had been in and out to tell them that she was doing fine, and that she was stable.

When the waiting door opened and the doctor came in, nobody said anything.

"I'm Dr. Simpson. As you know, Ms. Sidle's condition was rather serious when she came in. We got the bullets out of her shoulder without any incident. She's a tough one, your friend. She's resting now, but assuming that she won't have a reaction to the anesthetic, she should wake up shortly."

"Can we see her?"

"I will allow a couple of you in, since you've waited all night. However, I want her to get as much rest as possible, okay?"

Everybody nodded their understanding. There wouldn't be any question as to who would go first. Grissom was having a mental breakdown before their very eyes. Catherine wasn't very far behind. The rest of the team was willing to wait.

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He was staring at her again.

"I can feel your eyes on me, Grissom," Sara whispered without opening her eyes.

"I'm just worried, Sara. How are you feeling?"

"Sore, tired, completely bitchy. How long have I been out?"

"A few hours. The surgeon said everything went well. He removed two bullets from your shoulder. Bobby had already matched them-"

"I figured you would be right on top of things-"

"We will get these guys, Sara."

"Are they still looking for Tate? I know Mike died at the scene. Have they found Tate, though?"

"Not yet. Brass is confident, though. Don't worry about that, though. I shouldn't have brought it up. You scared us, Sara."

"Them or YOU?"

"Both," Grissom answered, taking a much needed breath, and reaching for Sara's hand.

"How's Catherine?"

"She's fine. She was completely rattled when we saw her for the first time. She walked right into the lab like nothing had happened. I don't think I ever saw her like that."

"She was like that when Eddie died."

"I didn't think it was that bad, though."

"It was. She stayed very strong for both of us in that warehouse."

"She says the same thing about you, Sara."

"What did she tell you?"

"Everything. From you trying to get them to leave her behind, and you sacrificing yourself so she could go."

"It was all or nothing," Sara said, looking at him for the first time. "I just knew that she had a lot more to live for-"

"Don't say that."

"Say what, Grissom? You and I know it's the truth."

"You have plenty to live for."

"Oh yes, Grissom. I live for you treating me like shit day in and day out. I live for take-out and magazines. Don't forget about the alcohol-"

"Sara, stop. I know that I haven't been pleasant-"

"Pleasant? Are you kidding? Of course you aren't. Grissom doesn't make jokes."

She was crying out of mere frustration.

"Even if things were different, Grissom, and I'm not saying things are, I'll never be worth the risk, will I?"

Grissom turned away from her now, releasing her hand. His mind went back to the Debbie Marlin case again, for the second time since Sara's disappearance.

"You knew-"

"Don't give me that bullshit, Grissom. If you can feel my presence even HALF as much as I feel yours, you knew that I was behind that glass. I just hope that show was for Dr. Lurie as much as it was for me."

"Sara-"

"When's the last time YOU went without a rationalization, Grissom?"

"I don't know," he answered sadly.

"Look at me," she said softly. "Grissom, look at me."

He looked up at her, truly feeling the emotions of her words.

"How did you feel when you found out that I was missing?"

"I was-"

Sara waited. He needed to do this on his own.

"I was scared. I was angry. I was a lot of things at once."

"That's all I need to know, then. I know how you feel, Grissom. None of it matters though, unless you are willing to take the risk-"

"I am."

"You say it with certainty, and it makes me want to believe you, but actions speak louder than words. I'm not saying that you waited too long, or that it can't possibly happen. I'm not saying one thing or the other. I just don't know-"

"Sara. No decisions have to be made right this instant. I just want you to be better. Just get better, and everything else will start to fall into place."

"It's so hard to just stop, though, Grissom. How do you just put your feelings on hold?"

"I don't put it on hold, Sara. I just keep my mouth shut. If I told you that I cared about you or that I loved you, does it really mean anything when I haven't shown you? You said it yourself- actions speak louder than words. "

"But it would make a difference, because even when you did all of those things, I still knew that you felt-"

"Sara…I love you. Now will you go to sleep?"

"Show me, Grissom."

"Show you?"

He searched her face, not really knowing what she meant. Then it dawned on him- a kiss. She wanted him to kiss her. 'Is that a good idea?' he thought.

"The hell with it," he whispered softly, leaning forward.

His lips met hers softly at first. He meant to keep it light. He meant to pull away as quickly as he leaned forward. As soon as their lips touched, though, he lost his mind. 20 hours of fear and anger and love caught up with him, as he kissed her thoroughly. He only pulled away from her when he thought his lungs were going to burst. He looked at her, and couldn't help but smile.

Her eyes were still closed, and cheeks were flushed. She was beautiful.

"Now will you go to sleep?"

"Oh yeah, only to dream about-"

"I think I came in at the wrong time," Catherine said from behind them.

Grissom turned to look at her, there was still evidence of a smile.

"You came at the right time," Sara said for him. "Grissom was just going home."

"I'm not going home."

"Oh yes you are. You're only the boss at work, Gil. You need to rest…and take a shower."

"Are you implying that I don't smell good?"

"I was meaning to say something about that…" Catherine joked.

"I'll go home when they move you to your own room," Grissom stated, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.

"Fine."

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After Grissom had left the room, Catherine took the seat next to the bed.

"How are you?"

"A little tired."

"Do you want me to come back-"

"No, you're fine. I wanted to talk to you."

"I never thought I would hear those words from you."

"Well, considering the past 24 hours, I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything, Sara." Catherine said excitingly.

"Oh yes I do. If you hadn't been there with me…I don't know what I would have done."

"What!"

"Just hear me out. I know that I'm a pain in the ass-"

"Sara-"

"Catherine, let me finish!"

"Okay, my mouth is shut. Go."

"I know that I have the tendency to bring out the worst in people. I just don't know when to stop sometimes. If you hadn't been there, I'm not sure I would have kept fighting. I wasn't just fighting for me, Cath. You kept me going. Even after you left…I survived."

For a few moments neither women said anything. Catherine sat thinking about what probably happened to her after she left. One look at Sara told her she was probably thinking about the same thing.

"You told me that it had happened before. I never should have put you in that position again, Sara. I'm so sorry."

"I lied, Catherine. I only told you that so you wouldn't feel as bad. I see that it only made it worst for you. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for Christ's sake, Sara. I should be the one apologizing."

"It could have been either one of us, Catherine. Please don't beat yourself up over it."

"I can't help it. I don't know if I will ever be able to. You saved my life, Sara. What can I say that will ever be able to make up for that? I owe you-"

"When you leave here today, Catherine, and go home to your daughter- we are completely even. If you can leave here, and try to change the things that have become issues outside of work, we will be even. If we can act like survivors instead of victims, then we'll be completely even. You don't owe me, and I don't owe you."

"I was so sure that neither of us would make it out-"

"But we did. That's all that matters now."

"You're right. Absolutely right."

Sara yawned and Catherine stood up.

"You need to rest. The guys will come in and see you tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Need anything?"

"Just try to get Grissom to go home and get some rest. Do the same, Catherine. I'm not going anywhere."

"You may be here for a while. Want a change of clothes or anything?"

"Yes. If you don't mind dropping by my place. A change of clothes and some toiletries would be great."

"I know Nicky has a spare key to your apartment. I'll get it before I leave."

"Thanks Catherine."

"No, Sara. Thank you. For everything."

Catherine reached for her hand, and squeezed it reassuringly. Sometimes things aren't always what they seemed. The situation had started off as a bad ending, and it was ending as a beautiful beginning. 


End file.
